The Road to Healing
by Shortii72194
Summary: He thought he could never love again. She thought she was over him. When Sasuke starts feeling things he didn't know he could, he doesn't know what to do. When Sakura thinks she was finally over Sasuke, he shows her a side of him neither of them knew existed. Love is something we can't control. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! So this is my first fic and I really hope you guys like it. This first chapter is kind-of short but the next ones will be longer. I just want to point out that Sasuke will be a little bit OOC but not by much. This is SasuSaku fanfic with a little bit of NaruHina, InoShika, and ****_maybe _****some KakaAnko. Still not sure if I will incorporate that last one yet but we'll see. Tell me what you think of my first chapter ;).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

***_3 Weeks After The War_***

_Sasuke Uchiha _

"DAMN! How long are they going to keep me in this damn cell?!"

*_Nii-san, I hope this is worth it. I'm trying to make you proud here. I returned to this damned place like you wanted me too and the first thing they did was lock me up!*_

*_Patience Otouto. All will work itself out_*

*_I hope you are proud Itachi; where ever you are in the afterlife_.*

After the war sasuke decided he would return to the leaf and pay for his crimes during his time as a missing-nin. His hopes being that, given the circumstances, his punishment would not be too severe. Tsunade now knows of the orders that were given to Itachi before the massacre and has agreed to put Sasuke on trial instead of having him immediately executed as most shinobi in his position would be.

"I guess the Dobe is good for something atleast."

Naruto played a big part in the fact that Sasuke was being given this leniency. As well as Tsunade's disciple, Sakura (for whom the Hokage has an extra weakness), and his role in the 4th Shinobi War sealed the deal.

"One more week Sasuke; one more week until the trial."

As much as Sasuke hated to admit it, he was actually nervous about this trial. He hasn't forgiven the elders for what they did to his brother. They are the only ones left of the 4 people who took part in the Massacre of his clan. Now, Sasuke isn't stupid, he knows that his clan played a part in their fate by planning the coupe. However, he also knows that there were less drastic ways things could have been solved. So, while he doesn't exactly want to kill the elders anymore, he does want justice. At the very least, for everyone in the village to know what a true hero his brother was.

***_CLANK_***

There was a sudden sound at the end of the dark corridor where Sasuke's cell was located, followed by footsteps approaching. The door opened to reveal a blonde woman with golden brown eyes and a huge chest.

"Hokage-sama"

Sasuke spoke up respectfully, knowing that he can't give the Hokage anymore reason to dislike him. Not a week before his trial.

"Uchiha, hello."

Tsunade had a lot to hold against this boy. However, after finding out the truth, she sort of felt bad for the kid. Not that she'd ever admit it, or even show it for that matter. However, she has taken into account that he has been nothing but respectful to her since his return.

"I just came to remind you that your trial is a week from today. It will be a public trial that will require all Konoha shinobi and civilians to attend."

*_Oh great, a whole show and I'm the star attraction, Sasuke thought at this.*_

"Now, before you go and sulk about this, because I can tell by the look on your face that you don't like the idea, this is not solely a trial for you. I will be making a public annoucement before your trial that I want everyone to hear. The reason for this is so that the village understands my decision on this matter."

Tsunade was quiet after this. She wanted to let the information sink in. She watched as the Uchiha went from indifferent to hopeful and back to indifferent in the blink of an eye. If she had not been watching for a reaction, she would have missed it.

"Are you...Are you going to tell them..."

Sasuke was trying really hard to keep a calm unemotional mask on his face. But, the fact that the Hokage might be thinking of doing exactly what he was going to ask for without him saying so, made him lose a little of his cool as the hope rose in him.

Tsunade held her hand up before he could continue.

"Yes, Sasuke, I am going to tell everyone of Itachi's loyalty and sacrifice for this village. I cannot do anything about those old hags, I apologize, but the least Itachi deserves is to be honored as a hero in this village."

Tsunade thought about how despicable and vile the elders and Danzo were for doing what they did. She watched as Sasuke tried to stay impartial to the information he was being given. His constant need to keep his emotions in check made her realize just how much the events of his life had affected him. It was at this moment that Tsunade decided that she decided she was going to do everything in her power to make sure this boy got the closure he needed to move on.

Sasuke bowed to Tsunade and mumbled "Thank you, Hokage-sama. That is all I ask."

With that, Tsunade turned on her heel and left the Uchiha to his thoughts.

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief once he heard to door at the end of the corridor close. He still refuses to show anymore than the necessary amount of emotion to others. Sasuke was surprised to feel the corners of his lips tug up into a small smile. He hadn't felt like this in so long that the emotions were foreign to him. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Knowing that his brother was going to get the recognition he deserved was enough for sasuke to forget that he was still going to be punished for his crimes.

For the first time in years, Sasuke was... happy.

He looked up at the cieling and thought aloud "This is all for you Nii-san, I hope I can make you proud".


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

***_1 week later*_**

**Sakura Haruno**

"Today's the day."

Sakura has just finished getting dressed after her morning shower and the only thing on her mind is Sasuke's trial. She honestly doesn't know how to feel about all this. It feels as if it was yesterday that they were fighting Madara in the war, but at the same time it feels like it was so long ago. It's been a month since she last saw him. She's nervous for him. Even though she doesn't love him like she did before. Everything Sakura went through made Sakura realize that Sasuke will never love her and that she is only hurting herself in keeping those feeling for him. Sakura is happy that he is back. Just because she stopped loving him doesn't mean she doesn't care about him.

Sakura was one of the few shinobi who knew the truth behind the Uchiha massacre. When Tsunade called her, Naruto, and Kakashi into her office the first week after the war it was the last thing she expected to hear coming out of her shishou's mouth. She remembered how Naruto had a serious face on. She had expected him to go crazy when he heard the news. She most definitely had. Sakura had broke down crying. It started off as just a few tears streaming down her face as Tsunade told them of what she had discovered. When the blonde women was done speaking Sakura couldn't take it anymore. Her knees gave out and she fell to the floor crying. Crying for the boy who lost it all. And, for the boy who gave it all up. She wasn't sure which was worse. Sasuke's fate, or Itachi's. But she knew then and there that everything Sasuke did was a product of those terrible events.

_***FLASHBACK***_

_(3 Weeks Ago)_

Sakura looked up at Naruto's solemn expression from where she had just broke down crying on the floor. His reaction to her Shishou's news was not at all what she expected. He was looking straight passed Tsunade out the window. As if looking at everything and nothing at the same time. His fists were clenched at his sides and she could tell that hard he was clenching them because of how white his usually tanned knuckles were.

After a moment more of silence Naruto crouched down to her level and ubruptly took her in his arms. Enveloping her in a warm, tender hug.

"I'm sorry you had to hear about this Sakura."

Sakura pulled back a little so that she could see his face but remain in his arms.

"Y-You knew?" she asked. looking straight into his bright blue eyes.

"Yes. Kakashi and I were told by obito the first time we ran into him." This prompted Kakashi to speak up.

"When Obito gave us this information, we weren't sure if it could be trusted. So, I decided we should keep it to ourselves until we could get more information." Sakura was now looking up at Kakashi in shock.

_*Well, that explains why I'm the only one who had some kind of reaction to the news.*_

**_*END FLASHBACK*_**

Everytime Sakura thought about it now she could still feel a slight tug at her heart.

She gave her self a once over in the mirror and just before heading out took a quick glance of the original team 7 photo.

On her way out Sakura couldn't help but wonder if it was ever going to be like that again.

**Sasuke Uchiha**

Everyone was there. Team 7, the rookies from the academy (who didn't look anywhere close to being rookies anymore), and every villager in Konoha.

Sasuke looked around and noticed his former teammates and sensei were in the very front of the crowd. They stood proud in the mass of confusion that he could see behind them.

He could also see the hope in their eyes. Was that hope for him? Sasuke knew that his teammates had forgiven him for his actions. He was grateful for it even though he would never admit it. He still had trouble accepting that would just forgive everything he did to them. But, that only helped to confirm that he was doing the right thing.

He looked to Naruto who gave him a thumbs up along with his exaggerated good guy pose.

_*Some things never change.*_ Sasuke thought as he directed his attention to Kakashi who was standing to Naruto's right holding a familiar looking orange book.

As if he could feel sasuke watching him Kakashi looked up from his book to give Sasuke his trademark eye crinkle that signified a smirk was hidden underneath his mask.

Sasuke then veered his attention to the pink-haired woman on Naruto's Left.

His dark onyx eyes met her bright turquoise ones and for an instant he almost gasped at what he saw. But, being who he is, Sasuke kept his shock to himself.

Sasuke was witness to some of the change in Sakura during the war. He was surprised by how strong she had gotten. But what he saw now was so much more than just strength. There was a confindence in Sakura's eyes. A fire that burned with the intesity of the sun. But, there was also something missing. And as Sasuke realized what it was that was missing, he also realized that Sakura hadn't just gotten stronger physically, but emotionally as well. He saw that the look of awe and adoration that she used to gaze at him with was gone.

It was a wierd feeling. He wasn't really sure how he felt about it. But, as the Hokage came into view from his peripheral, Sasuke put it to the back of his mind and focused on the matter at hand.

**Sasuke Uchiha**

**_*2 Weeks Later*_**

The raven-haired boy was on his way to his bi-weekly meeting with the Hokage.

During the trial it was established that Sasuke would be on probation for 2 years. During this time he would not be able to go on missions. He would do volunteer work for local shops in the village to earn back the trust of the villagers before he could earn the trust of his fellow shinobi. Every 2 weeks he would meet with the Hokag to talk about his work for the next 2 weeks and to follow up on his progress. After the 2 years were up, Sasuke would start off as a Genin. Performing only D-rank missions. His teamwork and ability to co-operate with others would depend how fast he moved up in the ranks.

As annoying as it would be for him, Sasuke was suprisingly okay about his punishment. Things could have been alot worse. Like he could have been stripped of his Shinobi title for the rest of his life. Never to be a ninja again.

So, all in all, it wasn't too bad. Especially since the village had taken the news about Itachi so well. They had been very disbelieving at first, but once the news settled and it was established as truth, the common people of Konoha proved just how understanding they could be.

Although, much to Sasuke's annoyance, now whenever they looked at him it was with pity. He couldn't complain though, it was much better than the glares he recieved upon entering entering the village.

**_*knock knock*_**

He heard a muffled "Come in" come from the other side of the door and promptly let himself in.

"Hoakge-sama" Sasuke greeted as he bowed to the women at the desk.

"Ah, there you are Uchiha." Tsunade looked up from the papers on her desk to greet the boy.

"I have your first assignment all set. Here you go. You start tomorrow." She handed him a scroll for him to look at and leaned back on her chair as she waited for him to inspect it.

Sasuke opened up the scroll and almost let out an audible groan. _Almost_.

Instead he bowed to the Hokage once more muttering a thank you before departing.

"Damn it!" Sasuke growled as he walked out of the building.

Of all the places the Hokage could have sent him she just had to start him off there.

Oh well, nothing to do now but suck it up.

"SASUKE!" Sasuke turned as a familiar blonde ninja in an orange jumpsuit ran up to him.

"Hey Teme!" Naruto greeted as he caught up with the stoic Uchiha.

"Hey Dobe." Sasuke muttered in responce. He wasn't even going to acknowledge the blonde's nickname for him.

"So, Sasuke how's it going? I haven't seen you since we all had dinner together the night after the trial." Naruto chatted.

"Hn." Sasuke considered leaving his response at that before the guilt set in and he continued.

"I've been ok. Tsunade-sama just gave me my first volunteer assignment." Sasuke scowled remembering what was on the scroll.

Naruto noticed his expression darken and laughed.

"What's she making you do, Teme, clean up dog shit for the next 2 weeks?" Naruto asked making a joke out of Sasuke's situation.

"Tch. I honestly wish that was what she assigned me. Wouldn't be so annoying." At this sasuke handed Naruto the scroll and said:

"See for yourself, Dobe."

Naruto grabbed the scroll and opended it to reveal its contents.

Two seconds later he busts out laughing.

"Good luck with that one, Teme." Naruto said after he calmed down, handing the scroll back to Sasuke.

"You wanna go get some Ichiraku for lunch?" Naruto asks as they stroll down a busy street in Konoha.

"Hn. Sure."

**A/N: Sorry for the weird ending but I want the next chapter to start off with Sasuke's volunteer work. **

**Can anyone guess where he got sent? (Not the hospital)**

**Anyway, next chapter will be up soon. I'm not really sure how many chapters I'll be putting in this story yet. I'm kinda just making things up as I go. But, I do know this is not going to be less than 10 chapters. **

**Please review ! ;]**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thank you to those who Followed, Favorited and Reviewed! It means a lot! Here is a treat for you guys. ;)_**

**_*The Next Day*_**

**Sasuke Uchiha**

Sasuke stood in front of the small flower shop and silently wondered if the blonde kunoichi was as annoying as she was in when they were still in the academy. He figured she couldn't have gotten any *more* annoying and with one last curse mumbled under his breath stepped inside.

_*Ding*_

Ino looked up behind her place at the desk and observed the tall, dark-haired male that just entered her shop. She already knew about the Hokage's orders to have him help her at the shop for the next two weeks. She was not happy about it, but she would not complain either. The shop could use a delivery boy anyway. It was a busy time at the shop right now since it was mid-Spring and she appreciated the extra hands.

"Hello, Sasuke." Ino greeted giving him a blank stare. She had long since got over her crush on him and was now _only_ being polite because her best friend, Sakura, had asked her to.

"Hn." Was all he replied. The Uchiha was a bit taken aback by the calm and indifferent greeting from the girl in front of him. He remembered how much she used to fawn over him when they were younger and he could honestly say it was a pleasant surprise. He never really liked her to begin with and her obsession with him had just made him dislike her more.

"So," Ino spoke up, realizing that was probably as much of a greeting as she was going to get. "I am going to have you doing deliveries. There is not uch to do here in the shop but I do have a lot of orders to fill and would be able to get them done quicker if I didn't have to fill them _and_ deliver them."

Dark eyes stared back at her blankly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and grunted in response.

"Uuumm. Okay, I have your first five orders to deliver here." He walked up to the desk to grab the paper that was in her outstretched hands.

Sasuke glanced at the paper then looked back up at her expectantly after stuffing the paper in his pocket.

"Follow me, I need your help loading them onto the wagon and then you can go."

She turned towards a curtain on the wall behind her and walked through it. Sasuke followed behind her thinking about how much she had changed and wondered if it was the same with the other people he knew when he was younger. Maybe this would be as bad as he thought. If she just kept doing deliveries all day then he wouldn't have to be around her very much.

Sasuke walked into a large green house behind the shop that was probably twice as big as the shop. He looked around noticing how all the plants and flowers were organized by type and color.

He came to a stop by some white flowers with wide pointed petals and long thick stems. Ino handed him a pot with one of those flowers then kept moving. Once the five orders were loaded up outside the shop on the wagon Sasuke headed towards his first drop off location.

The day went by uneventfully as Sasuke dropped off orders and picked up more from the blonde kunoichi. He noticed that she rarely spoke to him unless necessary. She seemed too focused on her job in the shop to pay much attention to him. After delivering his last order for the day Sasuke ooked up at the sky as he walked back to the shop. He noticed the orange-reddish glow that the sky was taking and thanked Kami the day was almost over.

When he walked back into the shop the blonde girl was closing up the register for the day and didn't look up when she heard him come in; too focused on making sure she didn't lose count of the money.

He waited patiently as she finished what she was doing before handing her the checklist of delivered items.

Sasuke turned to leave after recieving his thanks before the girl's voice stopped him.

"Sasuke" she started. Sasuke stopped talking but dudn't turn around.

"We're _all_ glad to have you back" she stated, taking his stop as a sign that he was listening.

"Hn." Was all he said before walking out of the store and heading home.

Sasuke smirked as he walked back to his apartment in the Shinobi Commons that the Hokage had assigned him. Today wasn't as bad as he had expected it to be and he hoped things would get even better as time went by.

As Sasuke reached his apartment he thought about his *actual* home. The Uchiha compound. He heard what happened to it during the Pain Invasion and couldn't say he was upset. going back there after everything would have been too painful. Although, Tsunade had informed him that since he had returned, the land was still his should he decide to start rebuilding it. Sasuke thought about that and realized that if he planned to rebuild his clan he would eventually have to rebuild it anyway. But, he decided it was a matter that wasn't important at the moment since he wanted to focus on his status as a shinobi before deciding to settle down with someone.

Once inside his apartment he showered, had dinner, then went to bed.

**Sakura Haruno**

Sakura let out a long, heavy sigh as she walked out the hospital that night. She had just finished a 12 hour shift and could swear she could feel gravity pulling her should closer to the ground. She was exhausted and hungry.

She looked at the sky and realized it was just after sundown. She figured Ino would just be closing up shop and decided to see if she would like to go have dinner with her. When Sakura had first started training with Tsunade she dedicated alot of her time to just training and studying. Her friends saw her maybe once a month. When she took over the position as head doctor at the hospital it got worse. She remembered Naruto barging into her office one day and she looked at him and realized hadn't seen him in two and a half months.

He promptly walked up to her desk and slammed his hand down on it saying she was going to have dinner with him at Ichiraku whether she liked it or not. Sakura had laughed at Naruto and agreed because she felt bad that she was neglecting her best guy friend so much.

Things changed after the War, however. After witnessing so many of her fellow comrads die in front of her, she realized how much she had been taking her friends for granted. Neji's death hit her particularly hard. They had never been close but he had changed so much since they were younger that Sakura couldn't help but be sad. She realized she never really got to spend time with the _new_ Neji and now she never will. She didn't want that to happen with Naruto or Ino so she made a promise to herself that she wouldn't let work keep her from spending time with her friends.

"Hey Pig!" She greeted the blonde as she walked into the shop.

"Hey Forehead!" Ino replied as she came from behind the desk to give her pink-haired best friend a hug.

"How was the hospital?" She asked as she pulled back from the embrace.

"Ugh. Long and tiring. I had 3 open-heart surgeries, 4 broken femurs to fix, and 15 physicals to perform." Sakura drawled out to her friend.

"But I came to see if you wanted to have dinner with me so we can catch up. I haven't seen you since Sasuke's trial and we didn't even get to talk then." Sakura continued.

"Well let me just close up the shop and we can get going." Ino replied with bright eyes. She was happy that she didn't have to go drag her out of her office at the hospital.

"So, " Sakura started once they were at the small tea shop that Sakura liked to go to for their dumplings.

"How is the shop coming along?" At this Ino looked at her with a mischevious smirk on her face and Sakura knew she had some juicy gossip to tell.

"Welllll, I had a _volunteer_ help me with my deliveries today at the shop." Ino replied. Sakura noticed the extra emphasis the blonde had put on the word "volunteer" and thought about it for a moment before gasping loudly.

"Shisou started him off at your shop!" Sakura uttered. She hadn't seen Sasuke since the day of the trial since she couldn't go to the dinner because she had a shift at the hospital. She wasn't sure how she would react when they actually had a chance to talk. To be honest she wasn't sure _if_ she wanted to talk to him. She was happy that he was back but that didn't mean she wasn't mad at him for leaving in the first place.

"SO?! Spill it Yamanaka! How did it go?!" Sakura wondered if he had changed much since he left and figured that, aside from being colder and more distant, Sasuke probably hadn't changed much at all.

"Wellll, to be honest there isn't very much to tell. He is still as quiet and withdrawn as ever. Still reponds with 'Hn' and 'Ah' to everything you say to him." Ino replied to her cherry-blossom friend. She could see the emotion behind her bright green eyes. She could see the hurt and the pain she still had but she also saw the strength and confidence that she had beat into herself through training and hard work.

"Hmm" Sakura mused.

"Is that all?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Pretty much. He wasn't rude though. That was a surprise. That aire of superiority is still there but not as much as before. It's like he's been humbled a bit. And I really only mean a little bit." Ino continued.

"Well, that's good... I guess." Sakura replied almost hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she believed that *The Great Sasuke Uchiha" had any sense of what the word humble even meant. Then again, it had been almost 3 years since they were together as teammates.

Sakura thought of everything Sasuke had been through and realized that maybe after all that pain and suffering he really had changed, if only a little.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful as Ino went on and on about not knowing how to go about talking to Shikamaru about the feelings she had developed for him. Sakura gave her a few tips and some good advice and when they finished their dinner and paid went on their way.

Sakura walked through the streets of Konoha. She looked at the village in wonder and amazement as she realized just how much work had been done in the time since it had been destroyed. The villege was almost completely rebuilt aside from the Uchiha Compound and a few other larger buildings that took longer to rebuild.

She came to a small park that she recognized from when she was younger. She felt a pang in her heart as she remembered how Naruto used to sit here alone as a child. Funny how things happen. At that time she hated Naruto just like everyone else in the village had and yet she didn't even know why. Now, she couldn't imagine her life without him. Thinking about Naruto brought her thoughts to her other teammate.. or ex-teammate.. She honestly didn't even know anymore.

As if the thought of him made it reality, Sakura looked to her side where there was a large river. At the end of a dock on that river she could make out the silhouette of a man with hair like the back of a chicken's butt. She smirked at her thoughts and was going to continue her walk when he suddenly looked back at her, onyx eyes immediately met with her seafoam green eyes.

**A/N: They finally meet! Will Sasuke talk to Sakura or will he just ignore her presence and go back to looking out at the water?**

**Will Sakura try to speak to Sasuke or will she just look away and continue on her walk home?**

**Find out next chapter!**

**Ok so I know Ino was a bit OOC around Sasuke but I like to think that she grew up a bit. She is still her blabbermouth, talkative self as you will see in later chapters but for now I like how things went.**

**Reviews make me Happy ! Please review !**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just want to thank all of you who reviewed and followed. Here is another treat ;)**

**Personally I loved writing this chapter and I hope you guys do too.**

**Enjoy!**

**_CHAPTER 4_**

**Sasuke Uchiha**

**_An Hour Earlier_**

Sasuke woke up with a start. He was covered in sweat.

_Another nightmare,_ he thought.

"Looks like this is going to be another sleepless night" He mumbled to himself as he got out of bed and started getting dressed.

He walked out of his house and headed towards the familiar dock by the river.

**_Present Time_**

Sasuke looked out at the water and basked in the calm and quiet feeling the night brought with it. He looked up at the moon an admired its glow. He suddenly felt a presence behind him and turned to see who was disturbing his quiet. Obsidian eyes met with bright green ones the color mint leaves. He knew who those eyes belong to and couldn't help but look down and inspect the body they belong to before returning his gaze to her captivating eyes. What he wanted to do was just look away and act as if he hadn't seen her. But, for some reason he just couldn't look away. He noticed that her body had filled out more. She had curves now. _In all the right places_, he heard his traitorous thoughts add in a whisper. Her face was thinner. Not in a bad way either. She had defined cheek bones that accented the natural flush of her cheeks. He noted the apprehension in her eyes and how it seemed she was also checking him out as he was her.

"Hi." He heard her say after what felt like eternity. He realized how nice it felt to hear her voice and wondered why he kept thinking these things. This was Sakura for Kami's Sake! Annoying, weak, little Sakura that clung to him like a leach. _No_, he realized. This is not that little girl. This person standing a few yards away from him was a stranger. A _woman_.

"Hn." He replied after a moment. She looked surprised. As if she thought he wouldn't answer. Which would explain why she had moved slightly as if to turn and leave.

She made to move again before Sasuke heard himself speak out.

"How are you?" He asked. Then inwardly cursed himself for acting without thinking.

"Umm. Fine, I guess." Sakura stayed quiet for a moment and he thought she was going to stop there before he heard her continue,

"And you?" She asked.

"I'm good." He replied.

He watched as her eyes widened slightly, then went back to normal as she tried to hide her surprise. Then, they narrowed slightly and stayed that way. It seemed like she thought this was all some kind of trick.

Sakura stood quiet for a moment. She looked as if she wasn't sure how to continue from there.

"Well, umm, good night Sasuke." She finally said. And with that she turned and left. Not even giving him a chance to respond.

Not that Sasuke knew how to respond anyway. It seemed that he was having a hard time keeping his cool unemotional mask in front of this new Sakura. He didn't notice until she was gone that he had wanted her to stay. All of a sudden, it was too quiet outside.

Not wanting to be outside anymore, Sasuke trudged back home hoping that this time sleep would claim him.

.

.

.

.

.

.

_"Sasuke"._

_The voice that called to him was sweet and seductive. Like a melody. He opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. He was in what looked to be a meadow in a small clearing. Surrounding the meadows were dozens of cherry blossom trees. The light pink flowers drifting off the trees in the light breeze. They reminded him of someone. But he couldn't remember who._

_"Sasuke" There was that voice again._

_He looked around for the source of the sound and found nothing._

_A slight rustling of leaves caught his attention to his right and he turned to see a women walk out of the wooded area behind the cherry blossoms. The first thing he noticed were her eyes. They were the brightest shade of green he had ever seen. Captivating him. He broke his gaze from those eyes to look down at her rosy lips. Turned upwards in a smile radiant enough to bring even the strongest of men to their knees. As his eyes headed farther down he took in the sight of her body in a small baby doll dress that barely made it to her thighs. It hugged her small waist nicely and the flaired bottom swayed ever so slightly in the wind. Sasuke was sure that if the wind was just a tiny bit stronger, he would be seeing a lot more than just her beautifully toned legs. The very same legs, that looked impossibly long and sexy walking towards him. That dress did wonders for her legs._

_"There you are." She said. Still giving him that smile. Sasuke wasn't sure how to react. This woman looked so familiar, but for some reason he couldn't figure out who she was. All he knew was that the smile she was giving him was making him feel things he had never felt before when looking at a woman._

_She reached where he was in the middle of the clearing and wrapped her arms around his neck. Too shocked to do anything, Sasuke just stood there. Mesmerized by the heated stare she was giving him. His body felt as if it were on fire. In a good way._

_She inched her face closer to him and he could feel her sweet, vanilla breath caress his lips._

_"Sasuke-kun" she whispered._

_"Sakura" He replied before realizing what he was saying. The reality hit him like a slap in the face._

_Just as her lips were about to graze his, _

he woke up.

.

.

.

.

.

The raven-haired man sat up abruptly in bed. He looked down at himself to realize he was having a _very_ realistic dream and his body was reacting accordingly. He groaned as he noticed his very prominent erection and tried to get his mind off of the dream he had just had and who it was about. He looked up and out his bedroom window to notice that the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. He had slept through most of the night yet his body felt like he had been run run over by a carriage.

He got up reluctantly and headed for the shower. A *cold* shower. To take away the remnants of that disturbing dream.

.

.

.

.

.

Later that day, Sasuke found himself unable to get that smile out of his mind. Everytime he closed his eyes he could see it. Beautiful and bright as it was in his dream. Those luscious pink lips. He kept trying to imagine how soft they would feel and then realize where his thoughts were going and mentally berate himself for thinking such things.

"...ke" He thought he heard someone calling him.

"Sasuke!" It came louder this time, breaking him out of his daze.

He blinked a couple times to clear his vision and was face to face with an annoyed looking Ino. She had one hand on her hip and the other extended towards him with a small pink slip in it.

"I've been calling your name for the last 5 minutes." She said. Looking at him suspiciously. Thankfully she didn't say anything about his zoning out.

"Here is the list of deliveries for the first round." She commented as he took the slip from her and stuffed it in his pocket. He took off without anymore hesitation.

_**3 MONTHS LATER**_

**Sasuke Uchiha**

Sasuke has been doing volunteer work left and right for the village for the last 3 months.

Every other week Tsunade would call him into her office with a new job. Today he is making his way there to recieve his latest one.

Everything has been going pretty good for him. Most of the villagers are polite to him and he has even gotten to catch up with some of the people from the academy all thanks to Naruto. He organized a guys night out for them so that he could get a chance to intereact with them. He wouldn't ever admit it, but Sasuke was glad that the Dobe was there for him all this time. His constant chatter and loudness has grown on him inthe time he's been back.

Sasuke noticed that his friends from the academy had not changed much in terms of personality. Lee was still a clone of Guy. Kiba still reminded him alot of Naruto and they occasionally bumped heads with their competitiveness. Shino was still quiet and wierd. Chouji only thought about food still. And Shikamaru was still a lazy genius. Shikamaru was the one person aside from Naruto that Sasuke would call a friend. He didn't dislike the other guys, but he couldn't really consider them *friends* either. They weren't the type of people he could hang out with alone.

In his time in the village Sasuke had started playing Shikamaru in Shogi. They wouldn't talk the entire time and Shikamaru would always win. But, the fact that the Nara kid knew that Sasuke wasn't the conversational type made him feel comfortable around him.

The raven-haired boy hadn't heard much from the girls. Not that he cared. Those first 2 weeks with Ino had been enough for him not to want anything to do with them. Although at first she had been quiet and reserved towards him. She eventually got comfortable enough around him to where she thought it was okay to blabber on and on about who-knows-what to him as if he cared. He'd seen the quiet, dark-haired Hyuuga girl with Naruto on occasion and wondered if they were together. She always seemed to be blushing around him.

One thing Sasuke was glad about was that his nightmares had stopped. Although, thinking it thoroughly he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The nightmares had stopped only to be replaced by very lucid dreams of the pink-haired kunoichi. It was always the same dream. The meadow. The cherry-blossoms. The short Baby-doll dress that showed off her long, toned legs. Every morning Sasuke would wake up and immediately have to take a cold shower to wash away the remnants of that dream.

He wondered how she was doing. He hadn't seen her since that day by the river dock. He knew from Naruto that her getting completely engrossed in her training and work was a normal thing for her now. Naruto told him that he had gone a whole 2 months without seeing her one time and that he had had to barge into her office and demand she go to dinner with him because he never saw her anymore.

This had made Sasuke secretly admire Sakura's dedication. He saw a little bit of her abilities during the war but wondered if that was the extent of it. Powerful punches and healing. He found it hard to belive that the girl who had been so weak at one point could have gotten much stronger. But by the way Naruto cringed in fear when he was going on about a time he had woken up Sakura from a nap it seemed as if he were afraid of her. Why would he be afraid of someone so small and fragile-looking?

Sasuke cleared his thoughts as he entered the Hokage's building not wanting to seem distracted to her.

When he got to the door he knocked and entered once he heard the muffled "come in".

The stoic Uchiha pushed the door open and his eyes met with hazel brown eyes but not before catching a glimpse of pink in his periperal. He kept his gaze straight however. Looking only at the Hokage for fear that if he looked into her eyes the images of his very perverted dreams would flood back into his mind and he would not be able to look away.

"Ah, there you are Uchiha. We were just discussing the terms of your next assignment." The Hokage stated once he had closed the door behind him. He could feel her eyes on him but refused to look her way.

"Hn." He replied after a moment.

"Right, so you'll be volunteering at the hospital as your next job. This one is a little different however as it will take longer than two weeks." She continued.

Sasuke chose this moment to look over at the pick-haired girl and in an effort to avoid looking into her eyes he ended up focusing on her lips. Lips that she was currently chewing that Sasuke found to have a worse affect on him than looking into her eyes. So, he looked up meet her gaze. She looked at him with an indifference that he was not accustomed to, and shrugged her shoulders. AS if to say that this was not her idea but she ould be going along with it anyway.

His onyx eyes turned back to the Hokage who was holding out a scroll.

"You will be working with Sakura as her assistant. She gets alot of patients at the hospital throughout the day and the paperwork to go with it is troublesome to say the least. You will be helping her file and organize her work. Anything else she needs while at the hospital will also be your responsibility. I do not have anyother jobs lined up for you after this one so this is kind of permanent until something else comes up." The blonde woman in front of him explained.

Sasuke grabbed the scroll from her and stuffed it in his pocket with a grunt as a response.

"You start tomorrow." The woman finished. And with that she waved Sasuke away with the pretense of having to speak to her disciple in private.

That night, Sasuke dreamed of soft, green eyes. Alluring in their brightness.

**A/N: Looks like our dear old Sasuke-kun is a bit ****_frustrated, _****wouldn't you say? **

**Heehee :D**

**I love frustrated Sasuke! He's soo cute !**

**Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter! **

**Please review ! The more reviews I get the faster I'll update ! **

**Anything you write is fine. Likes, dislikes, questions, critiques (Only constructive criticism please.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay guys so there is some jumping around between Sasuke and Sakuras' perspectives because I wanted to show both of their reactions to some things. This is my second favorite chapter so far (the sakura dream chapter being #1) and I hope you guys enjoy it as well. There is some major progress in a certain someone's behavior and we will see more in chapters to come.**

**I also want to say thank you to those of you who followed and favorite! It means a lot! **

**And very special thanks to those who reviewed! I love reviews! They make me feel special!**

_**CHAPTER 5**_

**Sakura Haruno**

Sakura wasn't especially glad that Sasuke would be working for her today but she couldn't really complain because she realy did need the help at the hospital. She hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Sasuke since he returned and was hoping to get a chance to before her Shishou forced this upon her.

Sakura wanted to let Sasuke know that she forgave him for everything he did, not just to her, but to everyone. Especially Naruto. She also had a few not so nice things to say to him as well that he deserved to be told. But, she wasn't about to start this conversation with him at her job so for the time she would just grin and bear it.

When she arrived at the hospital that morning he was already waiting in the main lobby for her.

*Punctual as always* she thought, *maybe he hasn't changed as much as we all thought*.

For a very brief moment the kunoichi was a bit taken aback as she realy noticed him for the first time in a long time. She had always known he was handsome. But her imagination did not do him justice. He had grown taller in his time away. Much more toned. His broad muscles were accentuated by the regular t-shirt he now wore. Navy was a good color on him. Sakura frowned at where her thoughts were heading and quickly composed herself. She put on her best professional mask on and motioned for the brooding man to follow her.

On their way up Sakura couldn't help but notice the way the nurses would go to greet her and then get sidetracked once they notice the tall, dark figure beside her. They would start to stutter out hellos' and goodmornings' to *her*, all the while looking at *him*. She groaned inwardly as she got to her desk realizing that having the Uchiha at a hospital with mainly female nurses was probably not one of her Shishou's brightest ideas.

Sakura reached her office door and opened to then groan again but this time outwardly to where it could be heard.

She had been up late last night at the hospital after her meeting with Tsunade and had been so tired when she got done that she didn't even bother to clean up her desk. It was stacked with a mountain of papers that she was dreading going near. She briefly considered turning around and going home for the day before she remembered she had a personal assistant right behind her. Her emerald eyes narrowed as her mouth twisted into a wicked smirk before she put her mask on again and turned around. She gave Sasuke a smile that Sai would be proud of from how fake it was.

"So, as you can see Sasuke I have alot of work to catch up on so I'm going to really need your full co-operation here." She said to him all cheery eyed.

She watched as he minutely narrowed his eyes then went back to his usually blank expression that seemed to look more like a scowl than anything.

"Hn." he replied.

The enerald-eyed kunoichi walked over to her desk and started explaining how the papers were supposed to be organized and where to put them once they were arranged.

He stood next to her the entire time just watching and listening to her explain. When she finished she sat down behind her desk to sign the papers that still needed her signature before being filed away when a young intern burst through her door panting as if she had just run a marathon.

"Haruno-san! A patient just came in to the emergency room that needs immediate attention!" She exclaimed.

Sakura got up immediately and ran out the door after telling Sasuke to do as much as he could while she was gone.

*Sasuke Uchiha*

Sasuke watch as Sakura disappeared behind her door as she ran out of the office. He let out a sigh of relief as he realized he could now do his work without her there to distract him.

Since he saw her this morning he couldn't stop thinking about those dreams he'd been having since that night by the had noticed how at ease she seemed around him too. She and Naruto were the only ones who seemed to treat him as if he never left. He really appreciated that. It made him feel more at home in the leaf.

He also noticed the respect with which everyone in the hospital treated her. She was always referred to as "Haruno-*san*"or "Sakura-*san*". It made him wonder about how far Sakura had really come during his absence.

Putting those thoughts aside, Sasuke set to work on his task. He was really surprised by how messy her office was. Not just her desk, but everything was just cluttered with garbage and paperwork and things. Sasuke wondered if it was because Sakura was always too busy to clean, or if she was just a slob. The Uchiha decided it was probably the former concidering the fact that she had arrived at the hospital not fifteen minutes ago and they were already calling her in for some emergency.

*Sakura Haruno*

*3 Hours Later*

The med-nin sighed as she trudged back to her office with her shoulders sagging. She was glad she saved another life today but she was exhausted and starving because she had skipped breakfast this morning to make it to work on time.

Once at her office she opened the door and trudged towards the lounge on the left wall of her office. Sakura was completely oblivious to the the other person in her office because she was so tired from the operation she forgot about Sasuke.

She laid down on the lounge and was beginning to settle into the comfortable leather when she got the uneasy feeling she was beeing watched and that something was different. The woman sat up abruptly with her eyes wide open and looked around her office to realize her office was spotless. As she scanned the room viridian eyes came to a halt when they came across onyx ones.

She jumped a little in surprise at the sudden eye contact. She noticed he was sitting behind her desk with his elbows propped up and folded together under his chin. He looked deep in thought as he surveyed her.

Sakura began to feel a little uneasy at his intense gaze and decided to speak in order to break to tension.

"Hi Sasuke. I completely forgot you here. Arigatou. You didn't have to clean the whole office." She said, making sure to go back to having her professional mask on.

"Hn." Was all he replied and she took it, thinking that was all he was going to say.

"I figured you're too busy to do it yourself and since I am going to be assisting you I'd rather not work in a messy environment" He continued.

Sakura stared at him wide-eyed. She was certain that was the longest sentence she had ever heard coming out of the Uchiha's mouth and was kind of wishing she had recorded it.

She watched him her smirk at her surprise. Then, as if that wasn't already enough of a shock to her, he asked her a question.

"Have you eaten?" He questioned.

Sakura was still in shock from his first outburst so she was rendered completely speechless when he asked her a question. Especially considering the fact that it was about her. So, she just shook her head as she continued to stare at him. Her green eyes just watched as he narrowed his eyes at her. At that point she realized how silly she looked and composed herself. Putting on her professional mask again she waved her hand in the air in a nonchalant kind of way.

"I didn't have time for breakfast this morning and I was in a surgery for 3 hours straight this morning." She stated matter-of-factly.

He got up and walked around the desk towards the door. When he reached the door and noticed she was just staring at him unmovingly he turned his head and asked,

"Are you coming?"

"Going where?" She asked confused. Sasuke would never in a million years invite her to have lunch so that couldn't be what he was referring to.

"Ugh. Baka. To eat, where else." He replied rather rudely.

Sakura visibly bristled as her shock turned to aggravation. She appreciated his concern for her but hell would freeze over before she *ever* allowed the Uchiha (or anyone else for that matter) talk down to her.

"If you're going to ask me to lunch then the *least* you could do is ask nicely! I am not a mind reader Sasuke. And your past actions haven't really lead me to assume or even consider that you actually care about my health." She said as she put her hands on her hips and tried to hold back from punching him through her office door as she would have anyone else under these circumstances.

She watched his facial expression go from stern and indifferent to shock then hurt at her last sentence to then go back to his indifferent mask. It was subtle but Sakura was alot smarter than she was as a genin and picked up on it immediately. She was surprised though, Sakura didn't think Sasuke could be hurt by anything she said. It had always stuck in her mind that he didn't regret his decision in leaving the leaf. And that he didn't really care much about her. But if that were true, why would he be hurt by what she said?

*Sasuke Uchiha*

Sasuke watched with curious eyes as the small womenb in from of him bristled at his comment.

He hadn't expected her to say anything to him and was taken aback by her outburst. He watched with fascination as she put her hands on her hips and noticed how incredibly sexy the woman looked when she was angry. Her eyes seemed to shine brighter than before with a spark of determination and pride.

Then she brought up his past and Sasuke remembered how much he had hurt Sakura and felt a pang in his chest.

He realized at that moment that he hadn't even apologized to them for what he did and for some unknown reason felt the need to make it right.

"Gomen." He heard himself say as he lowered his gaze to the floor.

The usually unemotional Uchiha suddenly felt a surge of guilt flow through him. He knew he had wronged his friends and only now realized how undeserving he was of them.

After a long awkward silence to see Sakura dump-struck as she gaped at him. All the anger and fire she had just shown had completely dissipated into shock.

*Sakura Haruno*

NEVER in her entire existence did Sakura think she would hear an apology coming from *THE UCHIHA SASUKE*! And yet, here he was, saying it as if it was not the wierdest thing in the world. He even had the decency to look contrite as he apologized! As if he knew he was in the wrong!

*Well,* Sakura thought, *I guess some things do change*.

After her initial shock Sakura still couldn't get over what she had heard but was letting it go as it would surely anger the stoic man if she just kept acting suprised about everything he said.

"So, do you want to go get some lunch? Scratch that, you haven't had a thing to eat all day, just come on." He said with a smirk.

This time, Sakura just smiled and said "okay".

*Later That Night*

Sakura lay in her bed that night recalling the events of the day. Lunch with Sasuke had gone surprisingly pleasant. He wasn't very talkitive. Although, she didn't find that surprising. Just because he had said more than "Hn" to her in her office and apologized to her didn't mean he was all of a sudden conversationalist of the year.

However, it was pleasant in that he also wasn't brooding or sulking like he used to when they were younger. He even seemed content with himself.

*Sasuke Uchiha*

Sasuke was restless that night. He had shown Saskura more emotion than he thought he was capable of. The Uchiha felt he had done the right thing. He *knew* he had done the right thing. But he just couldn't shake off the feeling of being weak for showing those emotions. Sasuke had it so thoroughly engrained in him that emotions were a sign of weakness that, even now that the world was at peace and there was no need to always have his guard up, he was left in a state of mental turmoil after the little episode in Sakura's office. The raven-haired man berated himself for making such a big deal of this.

Why should he hide his feelings?

It's not like he was striving to get revenge anymore. He didn't have the need to be all powerful. But a part of his mind would always feel like he did. All those years of being surrounded by darkness hadn't left him unscathed.

Sasuke was determined to change that however. He had already decided to move on and live his life. There was so much he missed out on because of his crazy antics.

It was time the Uchiha learn to be human. To socialize and interact. And maybe, *just maybe*, if she should deem him worthy, he would try to find a woman to love and to love him in return. At that thought a picture of a pair of viridian eyes appeared in his mind.

*no*. Sasuke thought, his onyx eyes narrowing at the thought.

He would not go after her. He had hurt her far too much to be anything but a plague to her. Sasuke figured the only reason she was even decent with him was because she cared in the way she cares abobut everyone. The way she cares for her Shishou, or for Naruto and Kakashi. But to say that she still loved him the way she had once claimed would be a lie.

**A/N: Review! :D**

**Slight NaruHina and InoShika next chapter :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm not Dead! Haha, sory if this update took long, I really wanted to set a constant pace for this story and update at least once a week but sometimes life is just like F*** You! I got more hours at my job, started school, and just had so much to do this week that I didn't know what to do with myself. Then I got writer's block and couldn't figure out how to continue. I'm kinda making this up as I go with the exception of a few scenes that I already have in mind so the filler is what keeps getting to me. I'm not sure I like the way this chapter turned out but I am satisfied with it so I hope you guys are too. **

**Special thanks to everyone who followed and favorite! **

_**EXTRA special thanks to those who reviewed! minniemousemom and Eric Burrell you guys are awesome and faithful and I love you for it.**_

_**Eric Burrell: Yeah I know what you mean about Sasuke being nicer but this is only a few months after his return. You'll notice the changes the in his personality. Soon he will be just one of the rookie nine again. :)**_

_**Chapter 6**_

**Sasuke Uchiha**

The next sunrise showed Sasuke sitting on that same dock. So many things ran through his mind last night that he just couldn't sleep. So, he decided to go for a walk. Somehow he ended up at the dock. Looking down at his reflection in the water.

He thought about his brother. _Itachi_

_How is the after-life treating you, Nii-san._

_Well, I hope. If anyone deserves a happy after-life it's you_.

The Uchiha thought of his Nii-san often. Wishing he was there with him. Itachi was always better at social interactions than him. Actually, Itachi was always better at everything than him.

Sasuke smiled. A genuine, heart felt smile that held a small amount of sadness in it. Thinking of his brother always had this effect on him.

The raven-haired male shifted his thoughts elsewhere. He thought of baby pink hair and bright green eyes.

Sasuke thought about how Sakura now called him Sasuke instead of Sasuke-kun. He hadn't realized how much he had missed the the term of endearment until he heard her say his name again and the suffix was clearly missing. He hadn't shown it at the moment, but it had created a strange pang within him.

After a moment more of quiet pondering, Sasuke looked up to see the sun had completely risen already. It was almost time to go to his volunteer work.

He got up and started making his way to the hospital. Somehow, feeling lighter than he had in a long time.

**Sasuke Uchiha**

It was a quiet morning in Sakura's office. Again she had been dragged away to some emergency after barely stepping foot in her office. Leaving him with another mountain of paperwork that had somehow mysteriously appeared overnight.

He quickly organized them into categorized piles. Then, he filed away the ones that were stamped for filing, and left the others in a neat pile on Sakur's desk to sign and look over when she got back.

It was almost lunch time when Sasuke felt a familiar chakra signature approching the office at a very fast pace. He got up to open the door and hadn't even taken his first step when a blonde man in and orange jumpsuit barged in, swinging the door all the way open so that it slammed against the wall.

"Dobe." was muttered as the Uchiha sat sat back down on the large chair behind Sakura's desk.

"Teme! What are you doing here?!" Naruto bellowed as he pointed a finger at Sasuke.

At that moment Sasuke noticed that Naruto was accompanied by a blushing Hinata who was standing slightly behind him to his right. His gaze flicked down a moment to notice their intertwined hands.

"Volunteer work assigned by the Hokage, Dobe. Don't you know how to knock?" Sasuke responded as he looked back up to the blonde's blue eyes.

"Oh. Where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned, completely ignoring Sasuke's question, as he walked into the office and sat down on the lounge with Hinata still in tow and still blushing. The Hyuuga heiress sat down next to Naruto and their hands were still intertwined and Sasuke briefly wondered if they were an item.

"She got pulled away to a surgery a couple hours ago. Did you need something?" He replied seriously.

Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his head in a familiar way before answering.

"Ne, not really. Hinata and I just wanted to see if Sakura-chan wanted to come have lunch with us. She skips lunch sometimes because she's so focused on her work so we thought she might want to come with us. Right, Hinata." Naruto said as he turned to her.

"Yes, and Hello Sasuke-san." She replied, sounding a lot less timid than she used to. Although, the blush would not leave her face.

"Hello, Hinata, you can just call me Sasuke." He replied stoically.

Hinata smiled and nodded her head in response.

He looked back to Naruto who was still looking at Hinata with a look of pure adoration.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at Naruto's happiness. But he didn't let it show because he was also genuinely happy that the Dobe foud someone. He also realized that it made him feel better that Naruto didn't still have a crush on Sakura.

"I guess we'll just wait for her here then until she finishes. If she's been gone for two hours then she should be back soon." Hinata spoke up after a moment.

Naruto nodded in agreement and then leaned back on the lounge to get comfortable.

"So, Teme, how is everything going with the volunteer work and with Baa-chan?" Naruto piped up after settling on the lounge with his legs on Hinata's lap.

Naruto didn't expect much of a reply from the usually quiet Uchiha and was surprised when Sasuke gave him an actual answer.

"It's actually going okay." Sasuke replied. He had leaned foward on the desk to lean his chin on his folded hands.

"What about you? What have you been up to? I haven't seen you since that training session we had last month." Sasuke replied.

"Well, since the world is at peace right now Granny Tsunade sent me and a few others on a mission to strengthen the ties with the other shinobi alliances by delivering supplies that the other nations might need to recover from the war. I just got back yesterday." Naruto stated.

**Sakura Haruno**

As she neared her office Sakura could sense three familiar chakra signitures coming from her office. She briefly wondered what was going on before coming to a stop in front of her office door. Just as she was reaching for the knob the door was pulled open dramatically to reveal a tall blonde with bright blue eyes smiling down at her before pulling her into a bear hug and sweeping her off her feet.

"SAKURA-CHAN! It's so good to see you after so long!" Naruto practically yelled.

Sakura laughed whole-heartedly as her blonde male best-friend swung her into her office.

"It's nice to see you too Naruto." Sakura giggled hugging him back.

"Now put me down and stop yelling, we're in a hospital for Kami's sake." She scolded him.

"Gomen." Naruto said sheepishly as he put her down and rubbed the back of his head.

Sakura shook her head at him with a rueful smile.

"Hello Hinata" Sakura said walking past Naruto to give Hinata a hug. She smiled at the girl. Happy that her and Naruto had finally gotten together.

"Hello, Sakura-san" Hinata said as she hugged her pink-haired friend. Hinata knew better than to be jealous of her over Naruto. Sakura was the nicest person she knew and Hinata knew that even though her and Naruto were close, Sakura had never felt that way about him. She saw him as a big brother and nothing else.

"Sakura, Hinata, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Sakura. The *-san* makes me feel old. Not to mention that I am not abaove you in rank or status. We are equals." Sakura said smiling at the girl.

"Gomen, Sakura, I just want you to know that I respect you." She replied as another blush creeped across her face.

Sakura turned to the Uchiha who was oddly quiet sitting behind her desk. Their eyes met and, instead of the usual dark pensive look he normally wore, he was smirking and seemed to actually be in a good mood.

"How did the surgery go?" He inquired.

She didn't think she would ever get used to him _starting_ a conversation with her. Or anyone for that matter.

"It went well, the patient is in recovery now." She stated.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" She asked as she turned back to the pair who were now standing side by side to her left.

Hinata was the one who spoke up.

"We wanted to invite you to lunch with us." She stated with a smile.

"Yeah! And Teme can come too if he wants!" Naruto piped up.

Sakura giggled at the nickname Naruto had given Sasuke and it turned into outright laughter when she turned to see to death glare Sasuke was giving him.

"Sure, I'd love to." Sakura said after calming down.

"Are you going to join us, Sasuke?" Sakura asked turning back to him.

He blinked and then looked at her and just nodded his head.

"Awesome! It'll be like a double-date!" Naruto bellowed. . . . "OW! Sakura-chan! What was that for?!" Naruto cried after being violently wacked across the back of the head.

Sakura shot him a glare that made him wither and run to hide behind Hinata who was chuckling softly at her boyfriend's sillyness.

**Sasuke Uchiha**

Sauke froze as the words 'double-date' left Naruto's mouth.

All those dreams of Sakura came rushing into his mind and he quickly started walking towards the exit without a word to make sure no one saw the steady flush creep across his face.

**Sakura Haruno**

She watched as the Uchiha practically ran out the door and wondered briefly if the idea of going on a date with her would be so terrible.

They ended up at Ichiraku.

*No surprise there* Sakura thought.

Being there together reminded her alot of their genin days with Kakashi. And as if the thought had summoned him Sakura heard a "Yo" come from the curtains of the Small ramen stand. She, and everyone else sitting at the booths turned in time to see a grey-haired jonin walking in with a very pale Sai following him. Sai had that same fake smile plastered on his face as he came to greet everyone.

"Hello, Dickless." He said to Naruto who replied with something equally as insulting.

"Hinata, how do you and Naruto perform coitus if he doesn't have a-" UMPH! Sakura has gotten up and punched Sai so hard he flew out of the ramen stand, across the street and into a wooden stand full of lettuce. She was so fast he hadn't even registered what had happened until he heard her screaming at him.

"Have some respect Sai!" Sakura yelled to the painter across the street who was just getting up from where he landed.

Sai gave her that fake smile of his and just walked back over to the stand and sat down on the far end of the booth.

"Hello Ugly, Traitor." He said once he was in his sit with Naruto and Hinata between him and Sakura. Naruto laughed in spite of everything and Sakura couldn't help the rueful smile that graced her lips as she shook her head and sat back down. She turned to kakashi was reading his usual orange book with feigned interest. Sakura knew Kakashi well enough to know that his sadistic nature was enjoying their bickering but that his "cool" attitude wouldn't let him show it. Sakura caught the hint of a smirk underneath that mask of his.

"Hey Kakashi." She greeted him with a smile.

"Yo." He responded peeking at her from over his book.

**Sasuke Uchiha**

Sasuke watched as his teammates interact with each other and wondered when Sakura had become so close to Naruto. He thought back to that hug the Dobe had wrapped her in back at her office and remembered how she used to hate him near her before he left.

_Things change_. His mind whispered to him.

"Hey Traitor," Sasuke turned to look at this Sai guy who had replaced him on team seven. Sasuke had heard that a member of root had replaced him and wondered if this guy was upset about his Sasuke killing his mentor. Judging by his relaxed demeanor and fake smile Sasuke guessed he wasn't. He had already caught on to the fact that his "nicknames" were a product of growing up in root and not knowing how to interact with people. That didn't make it bother Sasuke any less, but he didn't say in regards to it.

"Why did you return?" Sai asked sounding genuinely curious.

Sasuke considered his question for a moment. He had turned to look down at his now empty bowl of ramen and took a deep breath before giving the painter the best answer he could without breaking character.

"It's what Nii-san would have wanted." He replied after a while still refusing to look at anyone.

Everyone had gone quiet when Sai had asked the question and Sasuke fought hard not to walk away as he normally would. Sasuke was alone for far too long. He had promised his brother that he would live his life the he was meant to before the massacre and although his personality was going to be the hardest thing to change the uchiha decided he would atleast work on it.

He could feel five pairs of eyes on him as everything had gone silent. The ramen guy had disappeared behind a curtain after surving them.

Sasuke looked up to meet their eyes and realized these people here were truely what he could call friends. They all smiled at him and then returned to their chatter. As if they knew this was an uncomfortable topic for him and didn't want to make him feel exposed.

**Sakura Haruno**

She watched as he went back to staring at his empty bowl.

Sakura realized that the confession Sasuke had made was the first thing he had said all night and wondered if he was feeling left out.

As if on cue she heard Naruto's voice bellow out to the Uchiha.

"Oi! Teme, You got plans for tomorrow evening? Kakai-Sensei, Sai, and I are going to train together tomorrow. Would you want to come with us?"

Sakura thought she saw a hint of a smile cross his lips and then firgured she probably imagined it.

"Aa." She heard him reply.

.

.

.

.

.

They finished their lunch and Sakura said good-bye to everyone except Sasuke. The Uchiha was waiting for her so they could go back to the hospital because he still had volunteer work to do.

Sakura kept her pace at a leisurely stroll on the way back. She had missed spending time with her boys and it made some of the stress of working at the hospital disolve away.

She looked up at the sky and smiled contentedly.

Sakura was broken from her musings when the man next to her spoke up.

"You and Naruto have gotten close." He didn't phrase it as a question but she felt the need to answer anyway.

Sakura looked down. She didn't like thinking about those times. But her worst times were also her best. It was when Sakura realized there was more to her than Sasuke Uchiha. It was when she started doing things for herself and realizing her true strength. It was also when Naruto became a constant in Sakura's life. The pink-haired girl took a deep breath and kept her gaze to the sky.

"When you left, I was broken. I didn't know what to do or who to go to. Naruto came to me at that point. He comforted me and was so sweet to me. I realized how I acted like a total bitch towards him when all he wanted was for me to be happy." She confessed. She looked at Sasuke and saw the pain he so fiercely tried to hide. It seemed as if Sasuke actually felt bad about what he did.

"Gomen, Sakura. I never realized how much I had hurt you guys in leaving." He replied after a moment.

Sakura still couldn't get used to him replying to her so simply and easily. It was as if this was a completely different person and not the stoic, quiet Uchiha she had come to know in her childhood. She noted that in some ways, he really _was_ a different person.

"Sakura-chan!" Their conversation was interrupted by a brown-haired shinobi who was jogging up to them.

Sakura smiled at Genma as he approached and raised her hand as a form of greeting.

"How are you, Genma-san?" Sakura asked when he had reached them.

"I'm good. When are you gonna let me take you out on a date Sakura-san?" Genma inquired flirtaciously.

Sakura giggled and shook her head.

Neither noticed the death glare coming from the Uchiha next to the girl with the viridian eyes that was directed towards the senbon-user.

"Genma-san, how many times do I have to say no nicely before you get that I'm not interested in dating right now." Sakura replied.

"As many times as it'll take to wear you down and get you to say yes." He chided.

Sakura laughed.

"Well, good luck with that. You know how stubborn I can be." She said good-naturedly.

"As stubborn as a mule, but that'll make it all the more worth it when you do say yes." The senbon user replied.

Sakura smiled, not knowing how to respond.

"Well, I really have to get going now Genma-san. I'll see you around." She said after a moment.

Genma grabbed her hand and planted a swift kiss on it before replying.

"I hope that's a promise" He smirked.

"Good-bye." She said before hurrying off.

*Back at Sakura's Office*

"No time for relationships, eh?" Said the Uchiha about an hour after they returned to the office.

Sasuke was now laying across the lounge in Sakura's office since he had already organized the entire thing and now had nothing to do.

Sakura looked up briefly from the notes she was scribbling on her paperwork before looking back down.

*Why would Sasuke care about my personal life?* She wondered to herself.

"Well, you've seen how busy I can be here. There's not really any room for dating in my life." She replied.

"Hn." He said.

Nothing more was said throughout the entire day.

**Sasuke Uchiha**

Sakura was called into another operation and was gone for most of the day. When she came back she went straight back to filing and signing paperwork. Sasuke noticed how late it was getting and wondered if she was going to get up to eat dinner anytime soon. Then remebering how she had skipped breakfast the day before he figured this was something she probably did often.

He got up without a word and walked out of the office before she even realized he was gone.

When he returned with dinner she was still engrossed in her work.

"Where'd you go?" She asked without looking up.

He held up his hand with the to-go box he had gotten and waited for her to acknowledge him.

After a moment of silence she seemed to notice he wasn't going to say anything and looked up.

He saw the flush creep across her cheeks as she realized he had gotten her food and thought there was nothing sexier than the pink blush that covered her cheeks. He quickly pushed those thoughts away and walked over to place the food on her desk.

"You... You didn't have to do that." She said after staring at the box now covering her paperwork on her desk.

"A thank you would suffice." He replied a little colder than he had meant to sound.

She frowned and lowered her head.

"Gomenasai. Arigatou Sasuke-K...Sasuke." Sasuke's breath caught for a moment. She had almost said it. She had almost called him 'Sasuke-_kun_'.

He felt something bubble up inside him. He was glad but at the same time upset because she had stopped herself. He hadn't realized how much he wanted her to say until just now.

He looked away for a moment. He didn't want her to see the blush that had crept up on him.

"Eat." He said as he walked back to the lounge.

"You don't need to treat me like a child Sasuke. I can take care of myself." She said with a stern voice.

"Hn. Starving yourself to get your work done is not what I would call 'taking care of yourself'." He deadpanned.

She blushed again and Sasuke noted he liked making her blush.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" She asked after a while.

"I already ate before I came back." He said stoically.

"Oh. Uhh okay." She replied as she reached to untie the cloth wrapped around the boxes.

Sasuke watched as she silently ate her food. He noticed that she had gone back to scribbling notes while she was eating. He smirked and rolled his _eyes._

_This woman is too caught up in her work._ He thought.

He got up and walked over to the bookcase on the right wall of her office. He scanned it for something he might find interesting and realized they were all huge medical books. He picked a book at random and went to sit back down.

Sakura had finished eating and was now back to full work mode.

He started flipping through the book he had chosen to entertain himself with.

Thirty minutes later Sasuke realized how quiet it had gotten. He no longer heard the sound of Sakura's pen scribbling on papers. He looked up and what he saw actually made him smile.

Sakura had fallen asleep on her desk.

He took a moment to take in her features. Her pink hair was sprawled on the desk. Soft tresses flowing out behind her turned head which was leaning on her crossed arms. Her emerald eyes were hidden behind pale eyelids and Sasuke could clearly see her long lashes fanned out almost touching her cheeks. Her full pink lips were slightly parted. Sasuke faught back the urge to run his thumb over her lips.

He couldn't figure out why she looked so alluring to him now. Once, long ago, he saw her as a weak little girl who did nothing but annoy her. Now, though, Sakura had done a complete three-sixty.

She was confident and strong. And, much to Sasuke's dismay, she didn't chase after him anymore. He still wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He figured he probably wouldn't be as attracted to her as he is now if she was constantly chasing him like she used to.

Attracted. Sasuke was *attracted* to Sakura. He had never really been attracted to anyone. This realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He *wanted* Sakura. More than he had wanted anything since his journey for revenge. But would she ever be able to love him again? After everything he had put her through, Sasuke doubted it. But, he knew that now that he was certain of his feelings, there would be no one else who could catch his attention.

Sasuke knew Sakura wasn't the type to just give herself to someone. He had witnessed it today. He knew that she would only be with someone who could love her whole-heartedly. That brought more questions to his mind. Could *he love her*? Sasuke didn't even know what love was anymore. He didn't know if he could care for her the way she deserved. But, being the proud Uchiha that he was, he knew he would not allow anyone else to have her. As selfish as it seemed. Sasuke would not allow anyone to have the pink haired girl. She was going to be his at all costs.

At that thought, Sasuke got up and lifted Sakura into his arms where she remained asleep. She must be exhausted to not have woken up. He figured she would wake up really sore if she slept in her office so he decided he would take her home.

It was very late already so everyone was asleep which Sasuke was relived for because he didn't want to run into anyone and have to explain why he was carrying a sleeping Sakura in his arms.

He felt Sakura stir on the way there and looked down, thinking she was waking up, but she was still sound asleep.

"Sasuke-kun." It was barely a whisper and if not for Sasuke's acute hearing he would have missed it. He looked down and stared in shock at the sleeping girl in his arms.

_Was she dreaming about him? _

Sasuke brushed it off as best as he could and continued to make his way to her home.

**A/N: Review ! If you guys see any mistakes like grammar and spelling please let me know. I don't always reread these before I post them. Hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! **

**Review guys! **

**SasuSaku are counting on your reviews ! ;P**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: First I want to say thanks to everyone who followed and favorited this story. I started off this chapter doing really good but towards the end got a little stuck. The song below helped me through that and I think it goes well with Sakura's feeling right now.**

**Special Thanks & Comments:Minniemousemom- Your reviews always make me smile :3. I'm really glad you like the story and thank you for being a loyal Burrell- Your reviews always get me thinking on how I can make my story better. I like that ;). I chose Genma as Sakura's crush because I felt Sasuke can control himself better around people he knows than around strangers. In short, his jealousy is better contained when his reputation is on the line, haha. Just think of it as a plot hole. Pinkkurry- Thank you for my first long-ish review. I was very happy to see that you noticed Sasuke's emotional change. Most people see him as this cold, calculating a**hole without feelings but they overlook his past and the way I see it, he is all of those things but he is still that broken child from the past hiding behind a mask of indifference. Kctheartist- I'm glad you are enjoying the story and hope to see more reviews from you. :)**

_**Chapter 7**_

**_"If there's a prize for rotten judgement, I guess I've already won that. No man is worth the aggrivation, that's ancient history; been there, done that." - Hercules Movie_**

**akura Haruno**

Sakura awoke with a start.

She bolted straight up in bed and looked around, having felt as if she was being watched.

"Wait, wasn't I at the office?" She questioned herself groggily.

The pink-haired girl looked outside and saw it was dark out. She looked back at her bedside table and the clock read three forty-six in the morning.

She thought back to what happened and realized she had fallen asleep while signing paper work.

_But how did I get home?_ She wondered.

"Sasuke." She mused aloud. It must have been him. The thought made her smile. That was nice of him. She'll have to remember to thank him.

Viridian eyes looked down at herself and she realized she was still in her day wear. She got up and headed into the shower to wash up.

For some reason Sakura felt wide awake. Those few hours of sleep had given her the boost of energy she had needed so badly yesterday. She decided it would be a good idea to get some training in before going to work later that day.

She got dressed and headed for the training grounds with a bottle of water in hand.

As Sakura neared the grounds she felt a familiar chakra signiture towards the middle of the field. There were no fluctuations in the chakra so she figured he must be at rest.

As she neared the clearing she could make out a dark figure with spiky hair sitting in a crossed leg position on the middle pole of the three that stood in the large area. He seemed to be meditating. She wondered if he had already sensed her presence as she approached him because he did not move a muscle.

**Sasuke Uchiha**

At first, Sasuke thought he was dreaming. He felt her chakra approaching and didn't move because he wanted to think his imagination was playing tricks on him. He wanted to believe that the same green-eyed girl who appeared to him in his dreams on this very field was just a figment of his imagination. Her being here made the dream seem real. It lit a fire in him he hadn't known was there. And it was like gasoline was added to that fire when he heard her speak.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" She asked as she neared him.

She was just a few feet away now. He calmed his traitorous hormonal body before replying. Letting the silence hang between them.

"Hn. You should still be sleeping. By the way you passed out on your desk I could tell you haven't slept right in a while." He said once he felt he could trust himself to speak.

"Arigatou, Sasuke, for taking me home. But, you don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself." She said softly. He was surprised by the fierceness in those words considering how softly she had spoken them. She meant what she said.

"Hn, what are you doing here?" He asked. His words losing the edge they usually carried with them. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to be cold towards her anymore.

"I feel refreshed now and figured I could get some training done before dawn." She said matter-of-factly.

"Would you like to join me?" She asked after he didn't respond.

Sasuke thought about it for a moment. Did Sakura really think she could keep up with him? Should he go easy on her?

"Hn." He said as he got off the pole.

"Great. I always hated training alone." She said.

"I just want to work on some taijustu for now. No nin- or gen-justu." She added.

Sasuke nodded his head and followed her to the center of the clearing. His eyes couldn't help but wander down her back. She walked with confidence. Her slim waist accentuated as her hips swayed with every step she took. His eyes traveled farther down her back and he noticed for the first time Sakura had a nice ass. Perky and round. Not huge but she definitely had something there.

He shook the thoughts off as Sakura came to a stop in front of him and turned.

"Ready?" she asked. He could see the excitement in her eyes. There was something else there as well. As if she had a secret she was about to show him.

He gave her a simple nod before they both jumped back from their positions landing a few yards away from each other. He noticed how quickly she had moved but didn't think much of it.

He watched her watch him. She was waiting. Her stance was battle-ready. He decided to test her by making the first move. He hadn't expected her to see him as he used his lightning fast relexes to appear behind her; but Sakura seemed to be able to surprise him now, where before she was predictable. Just as he appeared behind her, her leg swung out for a high kick to his head which he barely dodged by ducking into a low crouch. he went to use it as an advantage and grab the leg that was still on the ground but she jumped into a back-hand spring before he had the chance.

He could see the pride in her face when she landed a few feet away from him.

_Okay, I see how this is gonna go, _Sasuke thought. He was starting to get excited as well. He hadn't thought Sakura was going to be much of a challenge but was now seeing how wrong he was. This might actually be fun. The thought brought a smirk to his face as he lunged toward the girl.

She seemed to see it coming as she was ready in less than the blink of an eye and cought his fist in her small hand. She quickly made to return the punch with one of her own but they were a match for match. Kicks, punches, and elbows were thrown around and blocking with amazing accuracy and precision.

An hour later they were both sweaty and panting on the ground sitting across from each other. Sakura took a swig from her water bottle and offered it to Sasuke.

He took the offered water. The wetness of it refreshing his dry throat and heaving lungs. He looked at her as she wiped the sweat from her brow and wondered how she had gotten so fast.

"I had Lee train with me to get my speed up." She said answering his unspoken question.

"Arigatou, Sasuke, that was fun." She spoke after a moment as she started getting up to go.

He simply nodded his head and laid back on the grass as she walked away.

_That was fun. _He thought to himself with a smile he knew she would not see since her back was turned. Sasuke hadn't had that much fun since his last training session with Naruto where they destroyed half the field and Tsunade had made the spend the entire day fixing it.

Sasuke looked up at the sky and sighed with content. He hadn't thought it would be so easy to get back into his life in the village. He still felt like an outsider sometimes. Mostly when he was alone in his apartment. Naruto had a way of making him feel at home though. He always treated him as if he had never left. Sasuke thought about their times together as genin. When he had left. How alone he had felt in Orochimaru's hideout. It was a dark time for him.

The raven-haired man thought about the time after his brother died. Sasuke still wasn't sure what had come over him. He had found out about his brother's tru life and it had left him so confused. He was angry too. Very angry. He was angry with his brother. Angry at the village elders. The anger and confusion clouded his mind. Everyone was an enemy. Including his former teammates. At the time, Sasuke would have killed him without a second's thought. Now, he was *so* glad he hadn't crossed that line. He had enough trouble still trying to get over the fact that he had attacked them. It made him feel vile when he thought of it.

_In the shinobi world, those who abandon a mission are considered trash; but those who abandon their comrads, are worse than trash_. His old sensei's words rang through his head.

He sighed again this time a little heavier. Sasuke wondered what his sensei thought that of him. He hadn't really had much chance to talk with him since his return.

The Uchiha stood up and made his way home. He needed a shower before going to the hospital for his duties.

When Sasuke arrived at his place it was still early. He decided to atke a little longer in the shower than he normally did. Letting the hot water run down his body as he let it soothe his tired body. He hadn't been sleeping right so that combined with the training session with Sakura had worn him out more than he would have anticipated. With the world at peace his body had become lazy. Where before he could have gone over a week without proper sleep and still be able to fight, now he couldn't go two days without sleep without his body complaining to him.

When Sasuke got out the shower he felt much better. The water had washed away his soreness as well as the dark thoughts that had plagued his mind earlier.

He padded to his kitchen with just a towel wrapped around his waist and grabbed a fresh tomato off of the basket on the island in his kitchen. Sasuke felt a presence near and looked to the window to see an anbu perched on the sill. The anbu's mask covering his features. He walked over the window and opened it.

"The Hokage-sama requests your presence." The anbu said.

Sasuke nodded his head and watched as the anbu disappeared in a puff of smoke. He turned to walk to his room as he munched on his tomato.

Sasuke's curiosity was getting the better of him. He roof-hopped to the Hokage Tower instead of walking like he usually did. He couldn't figure out why the Hokage wanted to see him. He started worrying that he might have done something wrong and was going to be punished but figured that couldn't be the case since he had been following all orders given to him. He reached the tower and jumped down from the building he was on to enter through the main doors.

Sasuke reached the Hokage's door and knocked as he usually did before entering.

"Come in." He heard and turned the knob and entered.

Sasuke was still gripping the door knob when he came to a stand-still in the midst of stepping into the office. He blinked a few times to make sure what he was seeing was just his imagination. He groaned inwardly as he confirmed that this was in fact still real.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sasuke groaned as a red-haired woman with glasses bolted to him and latched herself to his arm.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, where have you been? I've missed you so much!" Her voice was shrill and annoying. Sasuke realized that this woman was even more annoying than Ino was when they were younger.

He placed a very noticible scowl on his face before telling her to get the fuck off of him.

Sasuke turned his attention to the blonde woman behind her desk who was watching him with curious eyes.

"You summoned me?" He asked now ignoring a scorn Karin. At least she had released her hold on his arm, but she was still standing a little too close for his comfort.

"Yes, this woman was taken into Konoha custody after the war. She was badly injured so she was treated and then had her restrained. I had the Yamanaka clan do an evaluation on her and she was deemed harmless, but since she is an outsider she was being held in a cell. She would not stop asking about you so I decided to arrange for a meeting see what this was about. Although, judging from the show just now I can already tell." Tsunade said as she gave a pointed stare to the red-head.

Sasuke was disturbed. He had not even thought about this woman since his return to Konoha. He knew Juugo had gone with Suigetsu to help him on his search for the swords of the mist. They had said their good-byes and all. Sasuke had not even given thought to the woman that had been on his team. He figured she had probably died somewhere because of how weak she is.

"This woman was a former teammate of yours, was she not Uchiha?" Tsunade asked.

"Hn. Yes _was_. She is no longer any of my concern." Sasuke said coldly. He did not want to be here. He did not care for this woman in the least.

He heard Karin whimper on his side and refused to look at her. Sasuke did feel bad about what he had done to her. However, the fact that she still clung to him after he almost killed her made him disgusted. She was weak and childish.

"Hmm, okay, Uchiha. I understand, however, I do not know what to do with her. She cannot stay in a cell because she is not a criminal so she is just taking up space. She has already established that she has nowhere else to go and would like to remain here in the village." Tsunade pointed out.

"Why don't you give her an apartment and a job to work for it?" Sasuke gritted put. He was getting annoyed and it showed in his voice.

"Well, the job thing I can arrange, but, our living spaces are limited right now since the village has not been completely rebuilt." Tsunade said.

"Well then have somebody take her in. I'm sure there's somebody in this village who'd be willing to take her." By this point Sasuke's irritation had turned to anger.

He knew where this was going and did not like it one bit. Sure enough, when the Hokage spoke, she proved his theory.

"Well yes, but I don't want to put her in one of my civilian's homes. They wouldn't feel safe with a strange kunoichi living among them." Sasuke scoffed at her use of the word kunoichi. He didn't think Karin deserved that title.

Tsunade fixed him a glare and he quieted and waited for her to finish speaking.

"As I was saying, I have just decided that she will be staying with you until the building on the east side of the village are completed. You are the only person she knows here so it is the best choice." Tsunade continued.

"No." Sasuke said. He was seething by now and couldn't hold it in.

"Uchiha I am not asking permission. The buildings should be done in two months. By then Karin will have earned enough to pay for a room at least and she will be out of your hair. You do not have to talk to her or anything like that. I am just telling you to provide a bed for her to sleep in." Tsunade said matter-of-factly. Not knowing that Karin would most likely think that meant for Sasuke to provide _his_ bed for her to sleep on.

He fixed the Hokage a death glare before storming out of the Hokage's office. He immediately felt the annoying woman's chakra trailing behind him.

Sasuke kept a brisk pace as he walked back home. He made sure to keep a few steps ahead of the red head the entire time. He reached his apartment and stepped aside to let the red head inside; his manners immediately taking over.

Sasuke showed the woman where her room was and the bathroom attahed to it. He showed her the kitchen and told her she could have anything from it. Once the tour was over they ended up in the living room where Sasuke promptly turned to face Karin.

"Look, Karin, Gomenasai...about what I did back when I was fighting Danzo." Sasuke saw the way the girl's eyes lit up and raised his hand to stop her from getting too excited about his apology.

"Don't think that because I am apologizing that I dislike you any less. You are still annoying, but I acknowledge that what I did was wrong and that is why I'm saying gomen." Sasuke continued.

Karin nodded her head with a dejected look and turned to go to her room.

Sasuke wanted to spend as little time away from this woman so he turned and left. He was going to be late to the hospital if he didn't leave soon anyway. At that, the image of pink hair came to mind. He wondered how Sakura would react if she knew he had a woman staying in his house. He then chastised himself. Sakura had yet to show Sasuke anything more than just genuine friendship since his return so why should she care. She didn't seem like the jealous type anyway.

**Sakura Haruno**

As soon as the Uchiha stepped through her office door she could tell he was in a bad mood. She was confused. He seemed fine that morning when they were training. Sakura had even felt like he was happy. Had something happened after she left?

He barged into her office with a scowl that darkened his handsome features. His eyes looked clouded as he walked over to her lounged and plopped down on it unceremoniously.

"Something bothering you?" She asked plainly.

"Hn." He replied without looking at her. He was picking at a spot on the lounge.

"Okay." She said. "But if you want to talk I'll listen." She finished.

Sakura wasn't going to pressure him. He had been very open with her lately so she let him have his space.

The office was silent for most of the day. At lunch, Sasuke went out and got her some dumplings. He still seemed to be in a bad modd so she just thanked him and ate her food quietly. The hospital was quiet today, so she wasn't called into any surgeries. The pink-haired woman spent most of the day signing and filing paperwork. Sasuke had left the office spotless the day before so he spent the time on the lounge. Sakura wondered if she should tell him he could go since he was obviously upset and there was nothing for him to do.

"Sasuke, there's not much for you to do today. You can go if you want." She said.

For the first time in the entire day Sasuke looked up at her. He looked her straight in the eyes and Sakura held back a gasp. The look in his eyes was so intense. She felt like he could see right into her soul.

The silence stretched between them as Sakura's question went unanswered. Sakura noticed that the anger in his eyes seemed to dissipate as the seconds ticked by. Yet, she still couldn't figure out the meaning behind his gaze.

After what seemed like an eternity the Uchiha finally spoke up.

"If I leave you'll probably skip dinner." He said simply.

She smiled. His concern for her was sweet, if a little off-putting. She couldn't figure out where it had come from. He had never really shown any conern for her before unless they were on a mission. She had always figured it was just to make sure they got their missions done. She didn't dwell on it however. She figured it he must see it as his way of making up for before. He really had changed since his return.

"Okay." She replied quietly. He had gone back to leaning his head back on the lounge. Sakura noticed him close his eyes and couldn't help herself from staring at him for a moment. Time had been good to Sasuke. He had grown tall. More so than most of the guys his age. His shoulders were broad and his arms muscular. She could see through his shirt the outline of his pecks. Sakura imagined running a finger down his muscled chest. _What are you thinking Sakura?!_ She had realized the dark turn her thoughts were taking and quickly pulled her gaze away from the Uchiha and went back to her paper work.

After a long day of just papers and more papers, it was finally time for Sakura to get going. The Sun had set and the stars were shining bright in the sky when the two shinobi walked out of the Hospital.

Sakura started making her way home when his voice stopped her.

"Sakura?" She could hear the hesitation in his voice and wondered what was the matter.

The woman turned and her viridian eyes met with his depthless onyx ones. They seemed to be a dark pool that went on forever.

"Arigatou." He mumbled.

He had spoken so low Sakura thought she had misheard her. Once she decided it had really been what he said she was confused. This reminded so her so much of the day he had left. Sakura was suddenly hit with the pain of that night and she had to fight the tears welling in her eyes. She wanted to ask why. Why he was thanking her. Why had he thanked her then? She never did find out. But she didn't trust her voice. If she spoke, her mask would crack. The lump in her throat threatened to turn into a sob. Sakura turned around quickly and lowered her head. Before he could say anything else she walked away.

_Get a grip, Sakura! You can't let yourself go through this again!_

Sakura couldn't figure out why she was feeling so emotional all of a sudden. She didn't want to be like this in front of Sasuke. The Uchiha had broken her once before. Sakura couldn't afford to show him that weakness again. She refused to. But he seemed different now. He was more talkative, more caring, more _normal_. Atleast as normal as Sasuke Uchiha could ever be.

_Sasuke Uchiha_

Dark eyes watched as his teammate practically sprinted away from him. He was confused at first. He had only been thanking her for not prying about why he was in such a sour mood. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. The last time Sasuke had said that to Sakura, she had woken up on a bench. The guilt settled in and he wondered if he should go after her. Then thought better of it. He was probably the last person she wanted to see right now.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next will be up soon. There will be a time skip coming up soon. ;)**

**There will also be some tension between Sakura and Karin as you have probably guessed. **

**Please review! I will love you forever if you review ! **

**All reviews are welcome! **


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